Jen Psaki shuts down thinly veiled question on trans inclusion: 'Trans rights are human rights'

White House press secretary Jen Psaki may have only had the job for a few weeks now but the overwhelming consensus is that she is killing it. In addition to providing a refreshing change of pace — or rather, a return to normalcy — from the conspiracies and lies filled ramblings of her predecessors from the former administration, Psaki also appears to be more than capable of handling conservative media's efforts to stir up trouble. The 42-year-old gave us a rather impressive demonstration of this during a press briefing on Tuesday when Fox News Radio' Rachel Sutherland put forward a thinly-veiled transphobic question about transgender athletes.

Saying she had a question about President Biden's "transgender rights executive actions, specifically when it comes to high school sports," Sutherland went on to ask a circumlocutory question based on the debunked conservative belief that trans-student-athletes have an unfair advantage over cis athletes. "What message would the White House have for trans girls and cis girls who may end up competing against each other, and sparking some lawsuits and some concern among parents," Sutherland asked. "So does this administration have guidance for schools on dealing with disputes rising for trans girls competing against and with cis girls?"

"I'm not sure what your question is," Psaki replied when Sutherland had finished. When the reporter began with "the president's executive order..." the press secretary interrupted her to make it clear that while she is familiar with the order — the "Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation" signed by President Biden last month — she wasn't clear on what Sutherland wanted to ask her. "My question is does the president have a message for local school officials in dealing with these kinds of disputes that are already starting to arise between the trans girls who are competing and cis girls and a level playing field, particularly in high school sports when it leads to college scholarships," Sutherland rephrased.

"Is there any kind of messaging or clarification the White House wants to give on the executive order?" she added. Psaki's response was concise. "I would just say that the president's belief is that trans rights are human rights, and that's why he signed that executive order," she said. "In terms of the determinations by universities and colleges, I certainly defer to them." Psaki's handling of the matter was celebrated by netizens on Twitter who recognized Sutherland's question for what it is: an attempt to differentiate trans girls from cisgender girls and pit them against each other by casting the latter as some kind of victim of the former.

This is exactly the kind of thing President Biden sought to address by signing the executive order. "Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love," the order reads. "Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports. Adults should be able to earn a living and pursue a vocation knowing that they will not be fired, demoted, or mistreated because of whom they go home to or because how they dress does not conform to sex-based stereotypes."

"People should be able to access healthcare and secure a roof over their heads without being subjected to sex discrimination.  All persons should receive equal treatment under the law, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation," it adds. Biden's stance and action on the issue of transgender student-athletes is a stark departure from the transphobia of the former administration, which threatened to pull Department of Education funding from school districts in Connecticut unless they agreed to discriminate against transgender students.